J.T. Realmuto is the Phillies’ most irreplaceable player. So how exactly do they replace him?

The news release went out at 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, and right there, in the second paragraph, were some of the most dreaded words for anyone who cares about the Phillies.

Realmuto is scheduled to undergo right knee meniscectomy surgery.

Let’s pause while you clear that lump from your throat.

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It’s debatable whether J.T. Realmuto is the Phillies’ best player, but he’s inarguably the most irreplaceable. And they must now do without him for at least one month, possibly longer, after surgery Wednesday in Philadelphia to repair a tear of the meniscus in his knee.

The Phillies’ next-man-up resilience is well-earned. They survived losing Bryce Harper for two months in 2022 and Ranger Suárez for six weeks at the outset last season, and have kept winning at a historic pace this year without Trea Turner.

But this is different. Realmuto doesn’t only bat in the heart of the order. The 33-year-old iron man catcher helps put together the plan for each game, calls every pitch, and touches the ball more than anyone on the field. Pitchers swear by him; teammates revere him.

The Phillies don’t have a captain. If they did, it would almost certainly be Realmuto, described last week by right fielder Nick Castellanos as the team’s “backbone.”

And no offense to popular backup Garrett Stubbs, but there’s a reason why Realmuto has played 638 more innings than any catcher in baseball since the Phillies traded for him in 2019. The gap between Realmuto and a replacement-level catcher — Stubbs, third-stringer Rafael Marchán, or almost anyone else — is more like a canyon.

So, while president of baseball operations Dave Dombrowski eyes the scrap heap for temporary help, the Phillies’ best hope for overcoming the loss of Realmuto is to pray for a short absence and be thankful that they have their largest lead in the division since 2011.

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Dombrowski told reporters Tuesday in Boston that the Phillies expect Realmuto to miss “about a month.” But it’s also the second meniscus cleanup in Realmuto’s right knee. He had the procedure near the end of the 2019 season, once the Phillies faded from playoff contention.

Eventually, probably as soon as the offseason, the Phillies will have to face the likelihood that Realmuto can no longer start 130 games per year behind the plate and take a closer look at deepening the backup catcher options. But the focus now will be on getting through at least the next four weeks.

They called up Marchán from triple A to split time with Stubbs, who played three games in a row for the first time in his major-league career on May 12-14, after Realmuto first began experiencing knee soreness.

At the time, Realmuto didn’t think he needed an MRI, and after sitting out those three games, he has mostly played through the soreness. Although manager Rob Thomson recently conceded that he was giving Realmuto more rest, he noted that the catcher was “tolerating” the knee pain.

But then came Sunday in London, when Stubbs curiously pinch-ran for Realmuto at second base with the bases loaded in the ninth inning. Even before the overseas trip, Realmuto talked it over with the team’s medical and training staff, according to Dombrowski. Everyone agreed it was best to clean up the tear now and bring Realmuto back after the All-Star break.

It’s one of the perks of being 25 games over .500 in the middle of June. Fangraphs gives the Phillies a 99.5% chance to make the playoffs and 80.3% to win the NL East; Baseball Reference is even more bullish: better than 99.9% to make the playoffs, 96.3% to win the division.

All that really matters is making sure Realmuto is ready for October.

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Stubbs started a total of 64 games over the last two seasons and was on pace for 35 starts this year. He’s known more for his taste in celebratory music and red-pinstriped victory overalls. But he does play a central part behind the scenes in pregame scouting meetings with pitchers. At a minimum, he should provide stability behind the plate.

Marchán has drawn praise within the organization for his defense. But he played only 55 games last season and 70 in 2022 because of injuries. He reported to spring training with a balky lower back that team officials believed was related to a heavy winter-ball workload in Venezuela.

Maybe the Phillies can get by for one month with Stubbs and Marchán. It would make sense, though, to seek at least short-term help. Veteran backup Tomás Nido may be one option after getting designated for assignment Tuesday by the Mets.

Here’s another: Omar Narváez, an All-Star with the Brewers in 2021 but released last week after flaming out over the last two seasons with the Mets. If the Phillies signed him, they would pay the prorated league minimum salary, with New York picking up the rest of his $7 million salary.

If the Blue Jays choose to sell at the trade deadline, Danny Jansen could be available. Díaz, an All-Star last season and possibly again this year with a .303 average and .791 OPS through Monday, might be, too, although the Rockies are notoriously inert at the trade deadline. And besides, Jansen and Díaz would make more sense if Realmuto were to miss more time than expected.

The Phillies don’t want to think much about that because they know the reality: Realmuto is irreplaceable.

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